The largest veterans services organization in Massachusetts took a vote of no confidence in state Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jon Santiago last month, calling for him to step down from the job.
The Massachusetts chapter of the American Legion, which represents more than 35,000 veterans in the Bay State, said Santiago has broken tradition with previous veterans affairs secretaries in not attending certain meetings, conventions, and banquets when invited. Santiago represents the veterans services arm of Governor Maura Healey’s administration.
Citing a “total lack of respect displayed by Secretary Santiago” for the organization, the Legion called for him to step down in a letter to Healey sent in mid-June.
The organization took the lack of confidence vote in at its state convention in Marlborough from June 5 through 7. A follow-up letter sent to Healey on Monday said the organization never received a response from the administration.
“Secretary Santiago has failed to address the American Legion Department of Massachusetts, the largest veteran’s organization in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Secretary Santiago has been invited to the last two Department Conventions, last two Department Commander’s Banquets, and the last two National Commander’s Banquets. All previous Secretaries of Veterans Services of the Commonwealth have accepted all invitations to speak to the American Legion Department of Massachusetts at every event invited to by our organization,” the letter to Healey from the Legion says.
It’s signed by Department Commander Sandra Davis, past national commanders of the Legion John Comer, Paul Morin, and Department Adjutant Lisa McPhee.
The state Executive Office of Veterans Services asserted that Santiago has displayed an “extensive engagement with the veteran community.”
The office has attended at least 16 events and visits with the American Legion over the past 16 months, nine of which Santiago personally attended. This included the American Legion’s Memorial Day ceremony last May, and visits to Legion Posts in North Brookfield, Nantucket, Duxbury, Braintree, South Boston, Attleboro, and Weymouth.
Deputy Secretary Andrea Gayle-Bennett attended the American Legion Memorial Day ceremony this year, as well as the organization’s 75th installation of officers ceremony in Chinatown and two Post visits in 2024.
The state Executive Office of Veterans Affairs says that of the six events mentioned in the letter, the office already had earlier scheduling conflicts, and its Office of Scheduling did not have a record of an invitation of two of the events.
“The total lack of respect displayed by Secretary Santiago towards the single largest veteran’s organization in the Commonwealth and the world, the 35-000-member strong Department of Massachusetts American Legion, requests you remove Secretary Santiago from his position of Secretary of Executive Office of Veterans Services,” says the letter from the Legion.
McPhee said in an interview Monday, July 15 that the Legion has given the administration “heartburn” over one of its policy goals and connected Santiago’s non-attendance with the Legion’s opposition to a measure proposed by Healey.
McPhee said the American Legion is one of the only organizations to oppose a piece of Healey’s so-called HERO Act, or An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans (H 4172).
The Legion supports almost all of the policies in the bill, McPhee said, except a provision that would waive license plate fees on specialty veteran license plates. There is a one-time $30 registration charge for these plates, plus a $40 special plate fee charged every two years.
Those dollars are sent directly to the Chelsea and Holyoke Soldiers’ Homes, into a fund earmarked specifically for recreation and personal care items. McPhee said the homes use those funds for toiletries, clocks for the bedrooms, new mattresses and whiteboards, as well as recreational activities like fishing trips or museum visits.
McPhee said the Legion has asked that if the HERO Act prevails with the fee waiver, that the administration adds a $1 million line item to the budget to continue to fund recreation activities and personal care items at the facilities.
Healey’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 included about a $5 million increase each for the operations of both soldiers’ homes.
“The secretary of veterans affairs should be addressing the largest veterans service organization in the state,” said McPhee. “We’re all trying to do the same thing, we have the same goal, but if we come to an impasse, don’t ignore us.”
In addition to serving as the veterans services secretary — a job that Healey elevated to a Cabinet-level position for the first time in the state’s history — Santiago works one day per week at Boston Medical Center’s emergency room, and is in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he has been deployed twice, to Syria and Kuwait, according to his LinkedIn.
“We understand that he’s busy, but if he can’t make it, send someone else who knows what’s going on,” McPhee said. “Let’s have a conversation. And we can’t have a conversation if you don’t show up.”
In a written statement, the state Executive Office of Veterans Affairs said Santiago has been engaged with the Legion and other veterans service organizations.
“From day one, Secretary Santiago and the Executive Office of Veterans Services team have been committed to extensive engagement with the veteran community, including the American Legion,” the statement says. “We look forward to continuing our work to expand partnerships with all veteran service organizations in Massachusetts.”
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